Building frame construction



NOV. 23, 1954 3 DE F 2,695,083

BUILDING FRAME CONSTRUCTION Filed March 29, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I I I I INVENTOR. fizw/weous 04- M ae Nov. 23, 1954 B. DE WOLF BUILDING FRAME CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 29, 1952 FIE INVENTOR. 5504649005 05 War BY NOV. 23, 1954 3 DE WOLF BUILDING FRAME CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 29, 1952 INVENTOR. flaw/Maw 06' 14am Nov. 23, 1954 5 D WQLF 2,695,083

BUILDING FRAME CONSTRUCTION Filed March 29, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 F/En' Attorrby United States Patent BUILDING FRAME CONSTRUCTION Bernardus De Wolf, Arnersfoort, Netherlands, assignor to N. V. Ontwikkeliugmaatschappij Polynorm, Amersfoort, Netherlands transverse direction and at equal heights by means of shore or strut elements having a substantially fiat Web portion.

Usually the position of the said shore elements with regard to the supports or studs is secured by means of bolts, screws or like fastening members. In mounting the supporting structure the fixation of said fastening members requires, however, much time and moreover the small parts of which said fastening members are composed, such as nuts or the like, may easily get lost. Furthermore, it may easily happen that sometimes the application of the fastening means will be forgotten, which may lead to great risks afterwards.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a supporting construction in which it will be practically impossible to forget the application of the securing means and in which no separate or loose fastening members are necessary, while furthermore the erection of the supporting structure can be effected very easily and rapidly.

According to the invention this is attained by the fact that each support or stud is provided with an aperture adapted to accommodate a hook integral with a shore element on one side of said stud, as well as a hook integral with a shore element on the opposite side of the stud, said hooks extending in opposite directions in a plane parallel to the plane of the stud and engaging opposite edges of the said aperture, the aperture and the hooks being shaped in such a manner that at least one of the hooks can be disengaged from the aperture by consecutive displacements of the shore element parallel to and in the plane of its web portion, when the aperture does not contain the hook of the opposite shore element, whereas none of the hooks can be disengaged from said aperture by the said consecutive displacements, when both hooks have been accommodated therein. Thus each two shore elements situated at the same height on either side of a stud are successively arranged and their hooks are successively introduced into the corresponding aperture of said stud, whereby both shore elements will be automatically secured in their exact position, as soon as the hook of the last of these two shore elements has been applied.

Further objects, features and details of the present invention will appear from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some embodiments of the construction according to the invention have been illustrated by way of example.

Fig. 1 shows a section of a part of a vertical stud with one shore element in its normal position with its hook attached in an aperture of said stud and the opposite shore element arranged in an intermediate position with its hook only partially introduced in said aperture.

Fig. 2 is a similar section as Fig. 1, but showing the opposite shore element in its active position.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of two adjacent parallel studs interconnected by a shore element according to the line III-III in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 shows the construction shown in Fig. 3 in plan view.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a corner of a shore element according to a special embodiment.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the vertical stud 1 is provided with a substantially flat web 2 having a rectangular aperture 3 of which the width is about three times the height shown in the drawings. On the left side of the stud 1 is a shore element 4 having a substantially flat web portion 5 with bent or flanged longitudinal edges, of which only the rear edge 6 is visible. Each of the lateral edges of the web 5 is continued by an obliquely bent portion 7 having a hook shaped extremity 8. Said hook shaped extremity 8 is perpendicular to the web 5 and its width substantially corresponds to the width of the aperture 3. The remaining part of the oblique portion 7 extending beyond the width of the hook 8 is terminated by an edge 9 which abuts against the web 2 of the stud 1 when5 the hook 8 has been accommodated in the aperture In order to increase the rigidity of the oblique portion 7 and the hook 8, the middle of these parts is provided with a pressed-out longitudinal ridge 10 partly extending along the web 5 of the shore element 4. The height of said ridge 10 is substantially equal to the length of the hook 8. Moreover, the height of the aperture 3 is about two times the height of the ridge 10. Thus it will be possible to disengage the hook 8 from the aperture 3 by subsequently displacing the shore element 4 from its position shown in the drawings in two directions, i. e. first in a direction parallel to itself (upward direction) and then in a direction in the plane of its web portion 5 (lateral direction to the left).

The ridge 10 is further shaped in such a manner that a second shore element 4a on the right side of the web 2 of the stud 1 can be introduced, with its hook portion 8a into the upper remaining part of the aperture 3. Said second shore element 4a, which is similarly shaped as the first shore element 4, can be brought in its active position (vide Fig. 2) by moving said element in the direction indicated by the arrows shown in Fig. 1. In the active position shown in Fig. 2 the position of the hook 8 of the left shore element 4 is effectively secured and safeguarded by the hook 8a of the right shore element 4a. Any movement of the hooks 8 and 8a in upward or downward direction is prevented by the ridges 10 and 1041 at the back portions 8' and 8'0 of the hooks lying against each other within the aperture 3, while any movement in lateral direction is rendered impossible by the abutment of the hooks 8, 8a or the edges 9, 9:1 against the web 2 of the stud 1.

Due to the inclined course of the edge portions 7 and 7a, the abutting edges 9 and a thereof are situated on a level differing from that of the corresponding web portions 5 and 5a. As appears from the right part of Fig. 1, there should be a definite distance between said abutting edge and said web portion, in order to permit the web portion 5a to be free from the edge 11 of an undulated portion adjacent to the web portion 2 of the stud 1 (vide also Fig. 3), when the shore element 4a is in its intermediate position. It will be easily understood that, if said distance would be considerably smaller, the web portion 5a of the shore element 4a would already abut against the edge 11 before having sufliciently introduced the hook 8a into the aperture 3, so that the active position of the element 4a according to Fig. 2 could not be obtained. It will. be observed that the Web portion 5a of the element 4a has such a width that the flanged edge 6a of the element lies beyond the edge 11 of the undulated portion of the stud (vide also Fig. 3).

In Figs. 3 and 4 has been illustrated in what manner two spaced vertical studs 1 and la are interconnected by a shore element 4. On the level of this element 4 each of the web portions 2 or 2a is provided with two adjacent apertures 3 or 3a respectively, said apertures being engaged by a couple of hooks 8 or 8b respectively. In the figures only small parts of the shore element adjacent to the lateral extremities thereof are visible. It will be understood that the total length of said element is considerably larger than its width shown in Fig. 4. This appears also from the staggered relation between the broken ends of the web 5 shown in Fig. 3. The somewhat oblique position of the shore element 4 is due to the fact that the hooks 8 and 812 have been bent in opposite directions. Bending of said hooks in opposite directions is preferred, in order to enable a plurality of the same shore elements to be closely piled up. For the same reason the sides of the longitudinal ridges 10 are not too steeply inclined, while the longitudinal edges 6 and 13 of the web portion 5 are bent in opposite directions.

The shore element 4 is applied between the studs 1 and 1a in the following manner. It is assumed that to the left side of the stud 1 a shore element has already been positioned by means of its hooks 14 engaging the apertures 3. The shore element 4 is first arranged in the intermediate vertical position as shown for the element 4a in the right half of Fig. 1, whereby the ends of the hooks 8 are partly introduced into the apertures 3. Thereupon said element 4 is moved or swung into the position shown in Fig. 3 with the hooks 8 pointing in vertical direction and opposite to the hooks 14 of the adjacent shore elements. In order to bring the hooks 8b at the other extremity of the element on the same level as the hooks 14, the stud 1a should be moved to the right according to a distance which is equal to the thickness of the hooks 8b including the thickness of the ridges b plus the thickness of the web portion 2a. Since the studs are rather flexible in lateral direction, this temporary deformation of the stud 1a can be readily effected by hand. As soon as each of the hooks 8b comes in alignment with its corresponding aperture 3a, the lateral pressure upon the stud may be released, so as to permit said stud to resume resiliently its original position, whereby the hooks 8b will engage the lower edges of the apertures 3a. After this the next shore element can be applied in exactly the same manner as hereinbefore described.

Due to the undulated portions adjacent to the web portion 2 of the studs 1 the width of the oblique edge portions 7 of the shore element 4 is smaller than the total width of the web 5 of said element. Beyond said oblique edge portions 7 and 7b the web 5 of the shore element terminates in abutting edges 16 and 16b which are cut back relative to the edges 9 and 9b so that the web 5 is provided with retracted border portions. In the active position of the shore element said abutting edges 16 and 16b bear against the edges 11 and 12a of the undulated portions in the studs 1 and 1a. These abutting edges have mainly the same functions as the abutting edges 9 and 9a; moreover they serve for laterally supporting the undulated portion.

Another embodiment of a shore element according to the invention is shown in Fig. 5. For simplicity only one of the four corners of the element 17 has been illustrated. The substantially fiat web portion 18 of this element 17 is provided with hooks 19 adapted to engage the apertures 3 in the web portion 2 of the stud 1 (vide Figs. l-4) in the same manner as the hooks of the shore elements hereinbefore described. The portion 20 of each hook 19, which abuts against the corresponding portion of the hook of an adjacent shore element engaging the same aperture, is situated in the plane of the web portion 18. The portions 21 on the inner side of the hook 19 bearing against one of the horizontal edges of the aperture 3 from part of the upper side 22 of two pressed-out portions of the web 18.

In order to enable the hooks 19 to be inserted into the apertures 3, when the hooks of the adjacent shore element have already been positioned in the same apertures (vide the intermediate vertical position of the element 4a in Fig. l), the edges 23 abutting against the edges 11 of the undulated portions of the stud, by which the vertical position of the shore element could be prevented, are locally depressed in a direction which is opposite to the direction in which the hooks 19 at the same extremity of the element are bent. Thus, in Fig. 5 which shows an upwards bent hook 19, the abutting edge of the web 18 is pressed-out downwardly, so as to constitute an abutting edge 24 along the outer extremity of a depression 25. With this abutting edge 24, which may have a bent flange 26, the shore element 17 bears against the edge of an undulated portion of the stud.

By bending the hooks at the other extremity of the element 17 opposite to the hooks 19 and by adopting suitable inclinations for the sides of the depressed or pressed-out portions, the elements 17 may be closely piled up to a compact stack.

In this embodiment the web 18 of the shore element may extend exactly in the direction of the connecting line between two corresponding apertures 3, 3a, so that the somewhat slanting position of the element according to Fig. 3 is avoided. This may be of great advantage, when between two adjacent studs of the building structuii'edwindows or other special building elements are pro- W e What I claim is:

1. In combination with a pair of spaced studs having a fiat web portion opposite each other and at least one aperture provided in said web portion: a first transverse member extending between said studs substantially at the elevation of said apertures, and a second and third transverse member substantially in alinement with said first transverse member and extending respectively from the first and the second stud of said pair of studs in outward direction, each of the said transverse members comprising a web portion and at both lateral extremities thereof at least one fastening hook, having a back portion and a hook portion bent at right angles thereto, the hooks at the adjacent extremities of every two consecutive transverse members being bent in opposite directions and being engaged in the aperture of the stud between said consecutive transverse members, the plane through the upper and the lower edge of said aperture coinciding with the plane of the web portion of the stud and the hooks closely adjoining and overlapping each other with their back portions and having their hook portions located beyond the plane of the Web portion of the stud.

2. In the combination as defined in claim 1, the arrangement of studs having an undulated portion adjoining each of the edges of the flat web portion carrying the apertures for the hooks, each of the transverse members having at each of its lateral extremities retracted border portions adjoining the hook carrying web portion and facing the undulated portions of the adjacent stud.

3. In the combination as defined in claim 2, the arrangement of hooks lying with their back portions substantially in the plane of the web portion of the transverse member, and local depressions in the retracted border portions pressed out in a direction opposite to the direction in which the hook portion of the hooks at the same lateral extremity of the transverse member extends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 893,815 Schutt July 21, 1908 2,566,622 Millier Sept. 4, 1951 

